Star Trek’s “Mr. Spock” is arguably one of the most memorable, intriguing, and even endearing figures in all of science fiction. Spock, the first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the Star Trek television series of the late 1960s, was depicted as a half human/half Vulcan humanoid with pointy ears, from the planet Vulcan in a star system many light-years from Earth. Vulcan philosophy centered around the concept of logic. The highest objective of a traditional Vulcan was to control or suppress all emotion, establishing a purely logical being. Having learned that many science fiction characters have their origin in divine inspiration, we ask Creator, was Mr. Spock also a product of divine inspiration?

Unfortunately, we would say very much the opposite. Although this is a much-beloved character, it was beloved for ironic reasons. People in their heart of hearts were rooting for him to show a softer side, to show a more human side, to finally, after lo, many sessions in the series and many seasons, to finally warm up to his human companions and show a broader, deeper part of himself. In much the same way that people yearn for themselves to blossom and become complete as human beings and have all the attributes that are admired so they can become popular and, most of all, accepted by those around them who they truly care about, the ongoing tension in this series between the Spock character and his human companions was emblematic of the contrast and the potential odd circumstances that will arise. When humans are in the presence of someone non-human who lacks their emotional depth, this in fact is a warning, not something to be admired or sought to emulate by the masses of humanity as an example of pristine nature and character seemingly untarnished by messy emotional swings and creating complications in how to cope and to manage those feelings in dealing with others. It is better to be human and filled with emotion at times as a full repertoire of possibilities, than a one-dimensional being who has only logic to command and experience, and will miss out on the greatest of possible experiences, the joy and bliss that is the experiencing of love, especially divine love.